Washington Business Winter 2018 | Washington Business | Page 12

eye on business
Road Trip
Kris Johnson, AWB President
Stepping into the shop at the Northwest School of Wooden
Boatbuilding was like stepping back in time. The smell of
freshly cut wood filled the air, mixing with the smell of
saltwater inside the historic waterfront building in Port
Hadlock.
Olivier Huin, an instructor who looked every bit the part
of a sailor and craftsman with a thick, white beard, wool
cap and fleece vest, stopped at a partially completed boat
and described in detail how to use a mold to get the boat’s
curved shape.
The school was the first stop on AWB’s statewide bus tour
celebrating Washington’s manufacturing economy, and it set
the tone for a memorable six-day, 2,000-plus mile journey this
fall that took AWB staff to nearly 70 manufacturers in every
corner of the state.
The hosts were welcoming and gracious, as they were at
each and every stop.
The glimpse into the industry was fascinating. The
school, founded in 1981, is helping train the next generation
of maritime workers in both traditional and contemporary
wooden boatbuilding. Who knew this was happening right
here in Washington? It was a question we heard repeated
often throughout the trip.
And at virtually every stop along the way, we heard about
the need to train and educate the future workforce.
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“The maritime industry is thirsty for people under 65,” said
Executive Director Betsy Davis.
Even before the bus tour, we knew that workforce
development was a serious issue. But hearing so many
employers describe their challenges finding qualified
workers at every level, from entry positions to senior
management, drove home the point. It’s clear we need to
do more, collectively, to equip young people to work in
manufacturing jobs.
We also heard from many along the way about the need
to restore the business and occupation (B&O) tax relief that
lawmakers approved but was later vetoed by Gov. Jay Inslee.
We were told over and over that restoring the B&O tax relief
would provide an immediate and meaningful boost to small-
and medium-sized manufacturers.
“That would help us tremendously,” said Allison Budvarson,
co-owner of Out of the Box Manufacturing, an electronics
contract manufacturer in Renton.
Throughout the tour, we collected petitions from people
calling on lawmakers to restore the B&O tax relief. A few
weeks later at our Rural Jobs Summit in Moses Lake, Speaker
of the House Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, voiced support for
bringing back the tax relief, so hopefully that’s a good sign
that lawmakers will act during the 2018 legislative session.
We’ve never done anything quite like the bus tour.
AWB is both the state chamber of commerce and the state
manufacturing association, and we embarked on the trip in
part to raise awareness about the importance of manufacturing
for Washington’s economy. We also wanted to call attention to
ways that lawmakers and others can help manufacturing grow
in every part of the state.
It’s clear it resonated with manufacturers, lawmakers and
others. Television stations and newspapers on both sides of the
state covered the trip, as well as trade journals and association
blogs. AWB’s social media numbers spiked as people took
selfies and posted photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
And at every stop, employers thanked us for showing
up. “Manufacturing is so important in this state,” said Kate
Lampson, director of public relations and communications
for Lampson International in Kennewick. “I don’t believe
enough people know just the amount of manufacturing and
the diverse types of manufacturing that happens within
Washington state.”
We couldn’t agree more.